June 2, 2010

Now, it’s time for White Sox fans to take notice of Rios. The center fielder has played Gold Glove-caliber defense in center. He leads the White Sox with a .315 average, while knocking out 11 home runs and driving in 27. Rios has fanned just 21 times in 178 at-bats, and with 16 stolen bases, he’s on pace to become the franchise’s first 30-30 man in a single season.

Yet, Rios sits on the outside looking in of the top 15 vote-getters among American League outfielders in the second round of online voting, with the results released on Tuesday.

Fans can cast their votes for starters up to 25 times at MLB.com and all 30 club sites using the 2010 All-Star Game MLB.com Ballot sponsored by Sprint until July 1 at 10:59 p.m. CT. Sprint subscribers can now vote on the go with select Sprint devices. They can learn more about how to vote on their smart phones at MLB.com/Sprint.

May 25, 2010

I’ve talked about Rios a lot lately, probably because he’s been one of the few truly pleasant surprises in a rough start to the White Sox’s season. But seriously, ZiPS projects him to finish with 24 homers, 40 doubles, 34 steals and a .371 wOBA, all coming from an above average defender in center field. A lot of people bashed Kenny Williams for claiming Rios from Toronto, but right now that move is one of the few keeping Chicago afloat.